1996 Chevy Cavalier

CHEVYCAVALIER14

MEMBER
1996 CHEVROLET CAVALIER

Engine Mechanical problem
1996 Chevy Cavalier 4 cyl Two Wheel Drive Automatic

Ok, so I have 1996 Chevy Cavalier. I was driving one day and all of a sudden my car heated up. Now I changed the thermostat, the radiator cap and the water pump. But the car only heats up when the car is driving and the heat is on. The car does not heat up when car is idling in park with the hot air on and does not heat up when the driving the car with cold air on. Now we think its a possible head gasket but we can't look because the the first spark plug on the right is either melted or rusted into the engine part. What could this possibly be?

2 Replies

INTERNETMECHANIC

MECHANIC
700 POSTS

Too hot is a boil-over? Are you losing coolant? Does the radiator fan come on? I'd have to get a second opinion on your temp gage, like use a non-contact thermometer. Do a compression test, has this vehicle ever had a tune-up? The plugs shouldn't be that tight.

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Thursday, June 3rd, 2010 AT 12:58 PM

CHEVYCAVALIER14

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2 POSTS

When it gets hot it goes into the red. Yes it loses coolant sometimes. One day I was driving because I thought it was fixed, it became very hot, so I pulled over and turned the car off. Waited a little while and before I started to drive again there was very little anitfreeze, so when I drove to the gas station I went to go put antifreeze in the car the tank was full of it. The radiator fan does come on, and yes I get good compression. It recently has not had tune up, I would do a tune up myself but I can not get the spark plug out.

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Thursday, June 3rd, 2010 AT 1:03 PM